Illegal car meetups turn Philadelphia lawless

In scenes that resemble the ending to the movie ‘Joker’ more than the birthplace of American democracy, downtown Philadelphia became functionally lawless as hundreds of teens shut down the city for illegal car meetups. Eleven meetups in total were reported on Saturday night, with each meetup dispersed causing more to pop up, as police desperately tried to regain control. Deputy Commissioner Mike Cram likened it to ‘whack-a-mole.’ The large and diverse crowd blocked intersections, did donuts around rings of fire, attempted to run down police officers, smashed patrol cars, and in one instance, ran amok with a flamethrower. One police officer was left hospitalized following the night of violence.

But what prompted these car meetups? Investigators believe they were a direct response to police attempts to crackdown… on illegal car meetups. This, it seems, is a recurring problem, one that has seen the police attempt to come down with the full force of the law. Felony charges, $2,500 fines and the threat of having your car confiscated are all tools at the police’s disposal. What do you think, is the strategy working?